Travel Photography How To

Midway in my talk with Daryl Hawk about his travel photography, he mentioned that it was relatively easy for him to approach people and get their okays for impromptu portrait sessions. “I’m polite, I know something of their culture, and I spend time with them,” he said. Then he added, “And I speak a universal language.”

When I realized that this column would be in the magazine’s lighting focus issue, I looked at the data for the photos I’d taken earlier this year during a nearly month-long combination of safari workshop, assignment, and stock shoot in Africa. What I found surprised me: I’d used flash on about one-third of the 13,000 photos I’d made on that trip. I had no idea I’d used my Speedlights as often as I had.

Dr. Alan Sloyer, traveling with his son in Kochi, India, somewhat reluctantly agreed to a sunset cruise. “It wasn’t really my thing,” Dr. Sloyer says, but when sunset turned startlingly dramatic it became very much his thing: a passion for photographing memorable travel moments.

I’m a walking battery holder. My iPhone, MacBook Air and Fujifilm X-T1 all contain lithium-based batteries. And I have spares. My Maglite and Casio travel alarm have alkaline cells inside. And my Tag watch has a—well, I know. It has a battery, but I have no idea what kind. Oh—and there’s a lithium DL 2025 in my car key. Add my tonnage to the other 415 similarly equipped passengers on a typical 747 and that adds up to big a pile of volatile chemicals. Little wonder that the FAA and other government agencies are rightfully concerned. 

I think I speak for nearly every photographer when I say going to a new location excites me, especially if it is one I have dreamed about for years. We all dream of these once-in-a-lifetime photo adventures. But the truth is for most photographers, the majority of our shooting is actually done in locations that are closer to home and allow us to return more regularly.

COOPH (The Cooperative of Photography) recently partnered with photographer Ray Demski to create a video that highlights 14 smart and practical travel photo tips and tricks. The video, which is embedded below, was shot in beautiful Venice, Italy and features tips to make your photo adventure much easier, safer and more fun.

Paul Reiffer is a commercial and landscape photographer who shoots with a Phase One medium format camera system. Reiffer is known for his city and landscape photography and he travels the globe extensively looking for the perfect shot. In this story, Reiffer offers ten tips on how to take the best vacation photos.